Door stop



Dec. 15, 1964 D. HEYER DOOR STOP Filed March 6, 1961 me mm y m fiM/JW United States Patent 3,160,912 DOOR STOP Don Heyer, Fullerton, Califl, assignor to Hyer Hardware Mfg. Co.) a corporation of California Filed Mar. 6, 1961, Ser. No. 93,673

' 4 Claims. (Cl. 16-85) This invention relates to door stops of the type wherein Y a fastening element supports a flexible coiled spring stop member in a position to yieldably arrest movement of a door to prevent marring or damage of the door or adjacent wall;

In use of door stops of this type, the coiled spring stop member frequently works loose from the fastening element due to being stepped upon or otherwise accidentally struck as well as due to repeated stopping of movement of the door, since the spring stop member is either fric tionally held on the fastening element or threadedly engaged with a screw threaded portion of the latter. Accordingly, it is seen that the spring stop element is subject to being separated from the fastening or unscrewed therefrom in response .to deliberate efforts by meddlesome children as well as due to forces which will turn the spring and loosen it as a result of repeated door stopping operations.

Not only is the spring element susceptible of loosening and removal as above stated, but the fastening element is also frequently loosened as a result of application to the spring stop element of the forces next above noted. This is particularly true where the fastening element, as is usually the case, is a wood screw, because the turning of. the spring element in a direction which tightens the spring coils on the fastening element may cause the latter to unscrew or loosen.

In consideration of the above noted objections, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved door stop such as described in which the flexible coiled spring stop member is locked to the fastening element in a manner preventing loosening and removal thereof in response to forces applied thereto either deliberately, accidentally or as a result of repeated use of the stop.

It is another object hereof to provide a door stop such as described wherein a locking of the coiled spring stop element to the fastening element may be reliably and economically effected by providing a circumferential groove in the fastening element and mounting the coiled spring stop element so that a portion of the end coil thereof on the fastening element is disposed in the groove and so maintained by the tension of the spring.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a door stop such as described wherein a wood screw type fasten- 7 ing element and a flexible coiled spring stop element are constructed and arranged in a novel manner to prevent loosening or unscrewing of the fastening element responsive to turning movement of the coiled spring element in a direction which would tighten the coils thereof on the fastening and cause the latter to likewise turn about its axis and become loosened. V

It is an additional object of this invention to achieve the objective next above noted by having a screwthreaded fastening element and the coiled spring stop member constructed so that the coils of the spring are convolved invopposite hand to that of the screw threads of the fastening element. With this arrangement, the tightening of the spring coils on the fastening element as effected by rotation of the spring in one direction, for example clockwise, will cause the fastening element to be screwed .in tighter rather than loosened or unscrewed, Whereas upon rotation of the spring in the opposite direction, it will turn freely relative to the fastening element;

It is an additional object of this invention to provide a novel and inexpensive fastening element for supporting the coiled spring stop member and which comprises a shank to be driven into the wall or door, a head integral with the shank, a special form of stud integral with and projecting axially from the head, and a groove extending circumferentially of the stud adjacent the juncture of the stud with the head. With this formation of the fastening element, the latter may be driven with a hammer or other tool into the wall or door and the spring stop member thereafter mounted on the stud so as to be locked thereon. On the other hand, the stop may be completely assembled at the factory and by use of a suitable tool applied to the head or stud, may then be driven in place on a wall or a door.

A further object hereof is to provide a door stop such as described wherein the stud on the head of the fastening element may be knurled or fluted longitudinally so as to upset some of the metal of the study in the form of ribs extending from the outer endof the stud to the groove. This will provide a surface formation of ribs and enlarge the stud so that it will have a diameter greater than the insidediameter of the spring whereby coils of the spring will be expanded when forced over the rib surface so that the end coil will snap into the groove and remain therein under tension of the spring.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter described or will become apparent to those skilled in the art, and the novel features of the invention will be defined in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a door stop embodying this invention as it would appear when installed;

FIG; 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2. V

The illustrative embodiment of this invention comprises a headed fastening element generally designated 1 and adapted to be driven into a support, for example, the molding 2 of a wall 3. The head4 of the fastening element is integral with one end of the fastening element, with latter, as here shown, has a threaded wood screw shank 5.

As a means for supporting a flexible coiled spring stop member', the fastening element has an extended portion, here shown as a stud 7, integral with the head 4 and projecting outwardly therefrom in alignment with the screw shank 5. v

The spring stop member 6, as here shown, is helically coiled and one end thereof is fitted over the stud 7, whereas the other end has a cap-like resilient rubber bumper 8 frictionally held thereon;

Means are provided for locking the spring stop member 6 to the stud 7, and for this purpose the stud is provided, adjacent its juncture with the head 4, with the groove 9 7 than the inside diameter of the end portion of the coiled spring member 6 that is to be fitted over the stud. With this arrangement the coils at that end portion of the spring will be expanded so that the end coil 6a will snap into the groove 9 and so remain due to the tension of the expanded portion of the spring. The diameter of the stud 7 3 slide the spring onto the stud as the ribs provide uninterrupted longitudinal surfaces for contacting and guiding the spring in place.

It is desired that the fastening element 1 and the coiled spring stop member 6, as here shown, be constructed and arranged so that when the spring is twisted or turned about its axis in a direction that will tighen the coils about 4 described, it should be understood that changes and alterations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

the stud 7, the stud and fastening element will not also be turned and become loosened or unscrewed. Accordingly, for this purpose the threads of the screw shank 5 are in opposite hand to that of the helically convolved coils of the spring stop member. As here shown, this arrangement is such that rotation of the spring stop member 6 in a clockwise directionwill tighten coils of the spring about the stud 7 and thereby effect turning movement of the stud and screw shank 5 such as will tighten rather than loosen the screw shank. When the spring stop member 6 is rotated in the opposite direction, the coiled portion 6a thereof will turn freely inthe groove 9 with-s out effecting any turning movement of thefastening element.

I claim:

1. A door stop comprising: a fastening element; said element having a stud thereon provided with a circumferential'groove; a flexible helicallycoiled spring stop member having coils at one end thereof surrounding said 1 said stud will apply to said fastening element a force for With reference to the foregoing description and accom- V panying'drawings, it will be apparent that a door stop I embodying this invention constitutes an improvement in this art in that with a simple and economical construc-.

tion of elements thereof the. flexible coiled spring stop member is securely anchored to the fastening means in a much more reliable and advantageous manner than heretofore provided. Moreover, another improvement afforded by this invention-is that a wood screw type of fastening may be used to mount'the coiled spring stop member and will not be loosened or unscrewed as a result of the twisting or turning of the spring stop element in either direction. Furthermore, the advantage of having the flexible coiled spring stop member securely anchored to the fastening means may be provided with any form of fastener of the type adapted to'be driven into a I support.

Whether or not the coiled spring stop member is locked to the fastening element as here shown, if it is coiled in opposite hand to the threads of the fastening element as here shown, it will cause the tightening of the fastening element when rotated in one direction and turn freely relative to the fastening element when rotated in the opposite direction. I

While specific structural details have been shown and rotating it in a direction to tighten said screw in a support. 7 2. A door stop comprising: a fastening element having a head and an extended stud; a series of ribs on said stud extending longitudinally 'fromthe outer end thereof to a position adjacent to but spaced from said head to define a groove therebetween; and a flexible spring stop member having coils at one end surrounding said stud with one of said coils engaged in said groove to lock said stop memberagainst axial movement relative to said extended portion, the crests of said ribs definingan effective stud diameter greater than the normal inside diameter of said spring coils;

3. A door stop as defined in claim 2 wherein said ribs comprise material deformed outwardly from the body of said stud.

4. A door stop as defined in claim 2 wherein said fastening element includes a threaded screw extendingfrom said head opposite said stud; saidcoils defining a helically coiled spring of opposite hand from the-threads of said screw.

'References Cited in the file of this patent- UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,784,287 Hertzberg Dec. 9, 1930 2,630,733 Higgins Mar. 10, 1953 2,700,788 Hennelly Feb. 1, 1955 2,885,237 4 Heyer May 5, 1959 3,055,689 Jorgensen -Q Sept. 25, 1962 

1. A DOOR STOP COMPRISING: A FASTENING ELEMENT; SAID ELEMENT HAVING A STUD THEREON PROVIDED WITH A CIRCUMFERENTIAL GROOVE; A FLEXIBLE HELICALLY COILED SPRING STOP MEMBER HAVING COILS AT ONE THEREFORE SURROUNDING SAID STUD WITH A PORTION OF ONE OF SAID COILS DISPOSED IN SAID GROOVE TO LOCK SAID SPRING MEMBER AGAINST AXIAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID FASTENING ELEMENT; THE NORMAL INSIDE DIAMETER OF SAID SPRING BEING LESS THAN THE EFFECTIVE DIAMETER OF SAID STUD; SAID FASTENING ELEMENT INCLUDING A SCREW HAVING THREADS OF OPPOSITE HAND TO THAT OF THE COILS OF THE SPRING STOP MEMBER SO THAT ROTATION OF THE SPRING STOP MEMBER IN A DIRECTION FOR TIGHTENING COILS THEREOF AGAINST SAID STUD WILL APPLY TO SAID FASTENING ELEMENT A FORCE FOR ROTATING IT IN A DIRECTION TO TIGHTEN SSCRE IN A SUPPORT. 